The invention relates to a garage door opener security system. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for preventing unauthorized entry into a garage by manipulating the manual release of a garage door opener from outside the garage.
When constructing a building, care is taken to ensure that access is provided to authorized occupants, while unauthorized persons are deterred or otherwise prevented from entry. A thief or would-be wrongdoer, seeking entry into a building, will look for the “weakest link” in the building's security. Since only one weakness is required to gain entry, whichever entry point or security system that is most easily defeated will be attacked and exploited.
Garage doors often create several possibilities for a breach of security. One technique of gaining unauthorized access involves simply rolling the door upward, using its own tracks and rollers to make the thief's job easier. U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,561 to Forehand sought to make the garage door more secure by automatically inserting a locking pin into the trackway to prevent the door from being moved more than a few inches. Locking devices are somewhat problematic, in that they can prevent the door from being opened in an emergency, during a power failure, or when the powered opener simply fails.
Consequently, garage doors with locking devices such as that proposed by Forehand also now include a release mechanism to allow the door to be manually opened in case of a power failure or other emergency. Accordingly, most garage door openers today include a release lever, which acts to release the locking mechanisms or release the garage door drive train so that the garage door can be manually operated. These release levers typically are provided near the door itself, and are typically operated by simply pulling a cord which dangles beneath the release lever.
However, these release mechanisms themselves create a considerable opportunity for a security breach. Many garage doors close leaving a small space immediately above the door, between the door frame and uppermost door section. This space may be covered with a rubber gasket. But, this space often is large enough to allow a thin item to be inserted into the garage from outside. Accordingly, it is quite possible for an unauthorized person to stand outside of the garage, reach into the garage with a hooked wire such as a coat hanger, and operate the garage door opener release mechanism. With practice, unauthorized access can be gained in seconds. Thus, it can be said that the manual-override release mechanisms of current garage door openers provide a “weak link” in the security of millions of dwellings in the United States alone.
The foregoing background discussion derives from U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,174 to Singleton in which there is described a garage door opener security system, for preventing the unauthorized opening of a garage door, mounted within a dwelling. The garage door opener is of the type having a track mounted to the dwelling, and a truck slidably mounted on the track which is operatively engaged with the door. A release lever extends downward from the truck to allow manual release and opening of the garage door. The Singleton security system prevents unauthorized operation of the release lever by providing a pair of security plates which extend downward from the truck on either side of the release lever. According to Singleton, the security plates prevent an unauthorized person from extending an object into the garage from outside in an attempt at operating the release lever.
FIG. 1 illustrates a garage door opener system 10, including security plates in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,174 to Singleton. The system comprises a garage door 12 installed within a dwelling 14. The dwelling 14 includes a door frame header 16. A garage door opener 16 is anchored to the dwelling, and is operatively engaged with the garage door 12 to allow the garage door to open and close. A small space is present between the garage door 12 and door frame header 16. A rubber strip 17 extends in this space to prevent moisture from entering the garage therethrough.
The garage door opener 16 includes a drive train 18, which includes a track 20, a truck 22 slidably mounted on the track 20, and a power source 24 which pulls the truck 22 rearward to open the garage door 12. Accordingly, the truck 22 is attached to the garage door by means of a main arm 26. The main arm 26 is attached to the garage door with a vertical bracket 28, such that the main arm is pivotally attached at both the vertical bracket 28 and the truck 22.
A release mechanism 30, which comprises a release arm 32, is pivotally mounted to the truck 22 at a pivot axle 34. A release spring 36 connects the release arm 32 to the truck 22 and biases the release arm 32 toward the truck 22, causing the release arm 32 to return to its initial position once it has been pulled downward.
To operate the release arm 32, it must be pulled downward from a point opposite the pivot axle 34. However, in a typical garage installation, the release arm is located approximately six or seven feet above the garage floor. Accordingly, a release cord 36 is often attached to the release arm 32 fully opposite from the pivot axle 34 to allow a person standing inside the garage to easily operate the release arm 32.
The release a 32 not only provides a convenient way for an authorized user to manually open the garage door 12, but also provides an opportunity for an unauthorized person to reach into the garage door through the small space above or around the garage door using a hooked item and operate the release arm 32. As noted supra, the Singleton U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,174 provides a security system 40 comprising a pair of security plates 42 which extend vertically alongside the release arm 32, purportedly to prevent an item from reaching the release arm from the side. That is to say, Singleton provides a security system 40 comprising a pair of security plates 42 which extend vertically alongside the release arm 32, to prevent an intruder from reaching the release arm from the side.
While the garage door opener security system described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,174 may be useful to prevent unauthorized access under some circumstances, this prior patented system still leaves the release lever cord exposed and the release lever fully functional. Thus, an intruder could still reach into the garage with a hooked wire, grab the release lever cord or the release lever, and pull the release lever.